‘Gifted’ Review: Chris Evans Raises a Genius
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Frank’s life completely changes when his genius mathematician sister kills herself and leaves her baby Mary in his care. The handsome bachelor takes his uncle duties very seriously, and as Mary gets older, Frank realizes she is a child prodigy and finds himself torn between letting Mary live like an ordinary child and letting her to go to a special school for genius kids like her that will might end things for her the way it did for her mother.
Directed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer/Amazing Spiderman) and written by Tom Flynn, “Gifted” stars Chris Evans as Frank, while Mckenna Grace plays his adorably moody little niece Mary. Octavia Spencer is their fierce next neighbor Roberta, who absolutely dotes upon Mary and warns Frank that special kids like Mary cannot stay under the radar for too long. Soon enough, Frank finds himself in a custody battle for Mary with his own mother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan).
“Gifted” is a poignant look at the dilemmas faced by those in charge of raising gifted children, even though it doesn’t offer any coherent solutions. Frank doesn’t want Mary whisked away to a fancy institution, where she will be buried in books all the time with older adults, while she should be making friends her own age, playing, and experiencing the little joys of life like regular kids. Jenny Slate plays Bonnie, Mary’s teacher at school, who notices Mary’s exceptional math skills and brings them to light with the principal. Bonnie also ends up striking a cozy friendship with Frank when she goes to explain to him that she never intended her actions to spark a custody war.
McKenna Grace is immediately likable as little genius Mary, who gets bored out her brains at school, where kids her age are still learning “2+2=4”. But despite her advanced intelligence, she isn’t asocial or socially awkward like Sheldon Cooper (McKenna Grace played a similar girl genius role in the series ‘Young Sheldon’) and loves spending time with her pet cat and uncle Frank. Despite leading an unconventional life repairing boats and spending Friday evenings at a bar, Frank is always there for his niece.
Chris Evans and Mckenna Grace don’t just look like uncle-niece but feel more like father-daughter in ‘Gifted’ and their onscreen comfort around each other really elevates the storytelling. You will want to root for Frank to get Mary’s custody, even if he by his own admission doesn’t know what’s the best for the girl’s future, but he does have her best interests at heart. There’s a beautiful beach scene in the second-half of the film, where Mary simply lounges on her uncle’s lap, or tries to climb to his shoulders, just like any little kid would with a adult they trust, and that body-language is conveyed with ease and without any artifice.
The custody battle in “Gifted” between Frank and his mother does not overshadow what’s going on with Mary, even though it obviously becomes a turning point in the tale. After a few unexpected turning points in the tale, which bring much grief to all involved parties, “Gifted” ends with a heart-warming climax. If you’re up for an uncle-niece tale with a twist, give this a chance.
Rating: 7.5 on 10. You can watch ‘Gifted’ on Netflix.
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